Quarterly Progress Report January – March 2020 for USAID/Bosnia and Herzegovina Monitoring and Evaluation Support Activity II (MEASURE II)

During this reporting period, MEASURE II continued to develop key Activity deliverables, including the Q1 Progress Report and the revised MEASURE II MEL plan, both of which were approved by the MEASURE II COR. Under Component 1, MEASURE II provided technical assistance to USAID/BiH mission staff, including assistance in developing the new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). This assistance included reporting on the achievements of the current CDCS, producing a draft infographic on major USAID/BiH accomplishments for the period of 2012-2020, and organizing round tables with civil society sector representatives. MEASURE II also provided assistance to the mission with the Performance, Plan, and Reporting (PPR) for FY2019 and with developing and preparing Activity and Project Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS) for the new Standard Foreign Assistance Indicator (SFAI) and project-level capacity building indicator CBLD-9. Additionally, MEASURE II provided one-on-one assistance to nine Activities on developing Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plans and/or reporting. Under Component 2, MEASURE II delivered drafts of two mandatory assessments to inform the development of the upcoming USAID/BiH CDCS, including the Political Economy Assessment (PEA) and Country Biodiversity Analysis (CBA). MEASURE II also finalized data collection and initiated analysis for the 2019 National Survey of Citizens' Perceptions (NSCP-BiH) and the 2019 Judicial Effectiveness Index (JEI-BiH). Under Component 3, MEASURE II continued activities related to collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA). The main outputs included an infographic about CLA intended to acquaint the USAID/BiH staff with the concept and importance of CLA in the context of the Activity. Throughout the reporting period, MEASURE II maintained regular communication with USAID/BiH mission staff, Implementing Partners (IPs), and other stakeholders. MEASURE II also continued providing regular maintenance and assistance to Contracting Office Representatives/Agreement Office Representatives (CORs/AORs) and IPs on using the BiHPERFORM reporting system. The MEASURE II team conducted consultative meetings with USAID's IPs and relevant international stakeholders to inform the design of the Anti-Corruption Index in Bosnia and Herzegovina (ACI-BiH). MEASURE II also delivered three internal capacity-building workshops on 1) calculation of the JEI-BiH indicators based on survey and administrative data, 2) using BiHPERFORM, and 3) using online communication tools needed for teleworking. Overall, MEASURE II continued to make significant progress in supporting the USAID/BiH mission in developing its new CDCS and in implementing its MEL plan. The Activity's efforts in promoting CLA and providing technical assistance to USAID/BiH mission staff and IPs have contributed to the successful implementation of the Activity's objectives. The MEASURE II team is committed to continuing its efforts in supporting the USAID/BiH mission in achieving its development objectives. The team will continue to work closely with the mission staff, IPs, and other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Activity's objectives. The quarterly financial report for the period from January 1 through March 31, 2020, is presented in the following section. The report provides an overview of the Activity's financial performance during the reporting period, including expenditures and income. The MEASURE II team is pleased to submit this quarterly progress report to the USAID/BiH mission and looks forward to continuing its efforts in supporting the mission in achieving its development objectives.